Forever Together But a World Apart
by SpicySugar
Summary: SEQUEL TO MALFOY'S TWIN! But if you haven't read the prequel, it's ok! When Voldemort discovers a new prophecy, he knows he needs the Malfoy twins to complete it. However, by the time they find out, its too late. What will they do to save themselves?R
1. Default Chapter

AN: AND HERE IT IS! THE AMAZING SEQUEL! WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! I'm sure you've all been waiting with bated breath for it . . . well, some of you anyway. And, if you are reading this and you haven't read it's prequel (_Malfoy's Twin_) yet, that's okay, because there isn't really much needed information in there. Anything that is SUPER important, you will hear Cassandra explaining to Draco. I can imagine you would be pretty lost reading this story, though, so here's a quick background check:

-Draco's parents are forced to be Death Eaters

-Before sixth year, Cassandra had never been to Hogwarts because of her adoptive parents

-Cassandra and Draco are twins separated at birth (long story, read chapter one of the prequel if you want to know it)

-Draco told Cassandra about their twin-ship (as she didn't know) in the last week of September of this school year

-Cassandra is a tight friend with the golden trio, and she and Harry are dating

-Because Cassandra and Draco are friends, the trio and Draco became friends, although they took a week or two to adjust.

And that's about all you really need to know to make any sense of this story. Just a note: You may be surprised at some of the Slytherin Quidditch team names. And, without further ado . . . heeeeeeeere it is!

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The man called Zabini looked fearfully up at his Master. He had done exactly what he was told, but if he came up even the slightest bit short, the consequences would be immense.

"So, Zabini, I see you have some information for me?" said his Master in his terribly snakelike voice.

"Yes, Master," he said, trying to keep his voice from quavering.

"Well, what is it?"

"I have found two children, Master, that fit your purposes exactly . . . they are the proper age and relation," said Zabini.

"Oh? Do you know their surnames, Zabini?"

"Yes, Master. They even attend school together."

"I don't care where they are educated, what are their surnames?" demanded his Master.

"They have one and the same surname, Master. They are the Malfoy children."

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Harry Potter, hundreds of miles away while heading to the Quidditch locker rooms, suddenly felt like someone was splitting his head open with a very sharp butcher knife. His hand slapped on his forehead immediately, and he had to stop walking to keep from falling to his knees.

"Harry! Harry, are you all right?" asked Cassandra, who was right next to him.

"Harry, mate, what's happening?" questioned Ron, who was on his other side.

Harry could only barely talk.

"He's really angry . . . un–believe–ably angry . . ." he said through gritted teeth. Ron and Cassandra both paled.

'_Found two children . . . fit your purposes . . .' _

' _. . . know their surnames . . .'_

As quick as the pain had come, it stopped. Harry was left bent double, still standing, yet his hands on his knees, panting.

"Harry, what happened? Did you hear anything?" asked Cassandra.

"Did you have a vision?" asked Ron.

"No – no, I didn't have a vision . . . I only caught parts of their conversation . . . there was a man, he was saying something to him . . ." said Harry. Neither Ron nor Cassandra needed to ask whom "him" was – they knew it was Voldemort he was speaking of.

"Something about finding two children to fit his purposes . . . and he asked the man for their surnames, but after that I didn't hear anymore," said Harry, who seemed to be thinking very hard.

"Look, Harry, you can't be thinking about this just now, we have a Quidditch match against Slytherin in a half hour, we need to get changed!" said Cassandra, trying to be comforting while still rushing.

"She's right, mate, you need to have a clear head if you want to be able to see the Snitch at all," said Ron.

"I'm okay, don't worry. The fact that we're playing Slytherin is motivation enough for me to keep my head clear. I just hope it doesn't happen again during the match," said Harry, and he stood up straight and began walking at a much quicker pace to the locker rooms, Cassandra and Ron close behind him.

XxXxX

Half an hour later, the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams were walking out onto the field to face off in the first Quidditch match of the season. The teams rose into the air, with the exception of the captains. As Cassandra peered at the Slytherin Quidditch team, she couldn't help but notice their looks of disgust at the exchange of words Harry and Draco had when they shook hands.

"May the best team win, Harry," said Draco.

"We plan to," Harry replied in a friendly, but still competitive manner. Cassandra was so happy that Draco and her friends were on a first name basis. As Harry and Draco mounted their brooms and rose into the air, several meters higher than where the rest of the teams were hovering, Cassandra heard the commentary begin. Today's commentator was Dean Thomas.

"And after the captains shake hands, Madame Hooch releases the balls . . ." Madame Hooch then kicked the crate open and the two Bludgers and the Snitch flew out, then she threw up the Quaffle . . . "and the game begins!"

Ginny immediately got possession of the ball, and Cassandra flew ahead of her, ready for the pass.

"AND WEASLEY PASSES TO CALAWAY WHO PASSES TO BROWN WHO PASSES BACK TO WEASLEY AND SHE'S GOING FOR THE SHOT . . . OH! BLOCKED BY THE SLYTHERIN KEEPER . . ."

Cassandra could see that Ginny was already angry with herself for missing the first shot of the game.

"SLYTHERIN IN POSSESION . . . ZABINI PASSES TO PARKINSON AND . . . OH MAN, THAT HAD TO HURT! NICE BLUDGER HIT BY THOMPSON TO PARKINSON! GRYFFINDOR NOW IN POSSESION . . . CALAWAY PASSES TO WEASLEY WHO PASSES BACK TO CALAWAY WHO GOES FOR THE SHOT AND . . . _YES! _GRYFFINDOR SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry was hovering high above the game, listening to the commentary. He cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors when Cassandra scored, but quickly went back to his search for any sign of gold . . .

"AND SLYTHERIN BACK IN POSSESION . . . PARKINSON PASSES TO LATING WHO PASSES TO ZABINI WHO . . . AND THE QUAFFLE IS INTERCEPTED BY GRYFFINDOR! BROWN PASSES TO CALAWAY WHO PASSES TO WEASLEY . . . ooh, ouch . . . BLUDGER TO WEASLEY FROM CRABBE! SLYTHERIN NOW IN POSSESION . . . LATING TO ZABINI TO PARKINSON WHO HEADS FOR THE GOALPOSTS AND . . . oh no . . . SLYTHERIN SCORES, TEN TO TEN!"

Ron heard the cheers of the Slytherin crowd quite clearly. He _had _to stop thinking about what Harry had heard earlier!

Harry continued in his search for the Snitch until his stomach was rumbling with hunger and Slytherin was in the lead, 150 points to 120. He checked his watch: it was already almost 1:00. He was sure this must be one of the longest games he had ever played. He had to find the Snitch soon . . .

Draco had been scanning the whole bloody field for two hours and he _still _hadn't seen the Snitch, and neither had Harry . . . it must be in the next country if it's this hard to find!

Cassandra was really getting tired . . . she might not be able to play much longer if someone didn't catch the Snitch soon . . . she had to get some energy . . . she, Ginny, and Lavender _had _to score more goals to keep Slytherin from getting ahead . . .

"And Gryffindor gains possession of the Quaffle . . . Calaway passes to Weasley who passes to Brown . . . she's making her way to the goalposts and . . . YES! GRYFFINDOR SCORES! 150 to 130, Slytherin leading . . ."

Even Ron noticed how Dean had gotten rather half-hearted with the commentary. Why hadn't Harry caught the Snitch yet?

Harry was just about ready to demand they call the match a draw when he saw a glimpse of gold about seventy feet under him. Harry quickly looked over at the Slytherin goalposts, where he knew Draco was hovering, and saw that he hadn't noticed it yet. He then immediately went into a dive . . .

"And Slytherin is now in possession and . . . DID POTTER JUST SEE THE SNITCH?"

Draco, who had simply been absent-mindedly looking around the stadium, was brought back to reality when he heard Dean's exclamation. He instantly saw Harry, forty feet away, diving toward the ground. He zoomed towards him, urging his broom to go faster. He got there just in time to knock Harry out of the way, but just when he thought he was going to grab the Snitch . . . WHAM!

"AND POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS, 280 TO 150! EXCELLENT BLUDGER HIT AT MALFOY BY MASSIA!"

Draco wasn't quite sure what happened after that . . . he just knew that he fell off of his broomstick about ten feet off of the ground, but after that, he knew no more.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Harry, what happened? I never saw it."

"I was heading for the Snitch, and Draco pushed me out of the way, but the next thing I knew, he was hit right in the side of the head with a Bludger, and I had caught the Snitch . . ."

"He looks pretty bad, are you sure he'll be okay?"

"Of course, Hermione, Madame Pomphery can heal anything!"

"We don't know that for sure, Ron . . ."

"Oh, for goodness sake you guys, he's just unconscious! Let him rest!"

"How do you know he's just unconscious, Cassandra? For all we know, he could be dead!"

"Ron, shut up . . ."

Draco didn't know exactly what to make of the voices he was hearing, but they weren't helping his huge headache at all . . . what were Potter, Weasley, and Granger doing here anyway? Where was he? And was that Cassandra he was hearing? He had to open his eyes to find out . . .

"Oh, oh look! He's moving!" came Cassandra's voice. "Draco, Draco are you awake? It's me, Cassandra, your sister, come on, wake up!"

What in the bloody hell . . . _how did she find out_? His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright, which he immediately regretted, since it made his head hurt a lot worse. All four of the sixth years crowded around him jumped backwards slightly. He recognized himself to be in the Infirmary.

"Cassandra? When did you find out? How? I never told you that we were related!" he babbled.

"What are you talking about, Draco? You told me by the lake almost a month and a half ago!"

"How could I have when we weren't even in _school_ a month and a half ago? That would have been, like, August!" Was he the _only_ sane person in the room?

"Oh goodness . . . that can't be a good sign . . ." said Hermione quietly.

"Potter! Weasley! Granger! What are you doing here?" he demanded. They each winced slightly at hearing him use their last names.

"Cassandra, I think he may have amnesia . . ." said Hermione quietly to Cassandra. Draco still heard it, though.

"I do NOT have amnesia!" said Draco hotly.

"I, uh, think I'm going to go get Madame Pomphery . . ." said Ron, and he left Draco's bedside rather hastily.

"Guys, maybe you should leave . . . said Cassandra to Harry and Hermione.

"Good idea . . . see you later, Cassy," said Harry, and he and Hermione walked out of the hospital wing. Cassandra sat down on the end of Draco's bed.

"Um, Draco, let me explain something here . . . do you know why you're in the hospital wing?" asked Cassandra quietly.

"Well, it must have something to do with my head . . . I have a huge headache . . ."

"Yeah, it does. The first Quidditch match was today . . . you took a Bludger to the head right at the end of the game," said Cassandra.

"But why would there be a Quidditch match today when it's only the second week of September?" asked Draco. He did really not understand any of this . . .

"Draco, its – its November sixth . . . what's the last thing you remember?" asked Cassandra softly.

"Uh . . . I, I remember being in the Great Hall . . . and then I walked out to go to Potions early . . . and then you came running up to me . . . and we talked about . . . about something, I can't remember what . . . and then I walked away, but when I turned the corner I wasn't paying attention, I suppose . . . and I walked right into a statue . . ." he finished sheepishly.

"Of course . . . the _last_ time you got hit in the head with something is the last thing you remember . . . Draco, it really is November sixth. You just came back from the first Quidditch match about . . ." she checked her watch, "five hours ago. You've been knocked out since then, and the only thing I can assume is that you have a slight case of amnesia because of the force that the Bludger hit you with."

"It's still hard to believe you . . . do you think Madame Pomphery has something that can bring my memory back?" asked Draco.

"I doubt it . . . I mean, if she did have a potion of that sort, there wouldn't be a need for the section in St. Mungo's for people who have had their memory removed, would there?" reasoned Cassandra logically.

"I suppose that's a good point, but isn't that for more serious cases? Like, people who have gone crazy or have no hope of recovering or something?" asked Draco, sounding more desperate.

"It could be . . . but all the same, it might just come back to you after a while. I'll try to explain the important stuff to you," comforted Cassandra.

"Hey, wasn't Weasley supposed to be getting the nurse?" asked Draco, suddenly remembering why the red-head had run off.

"I think he was just using an excuse to get away. If you want, I can go get Madame Pomphery," offered Cassandra.

"Sure, you can, thanks. I'm surprised she hasn't come out here to shoo you away yet . . ." said Draco with a small laugh.

"Well, at the very least, if she can't give you your memory back, she can take your headache away," said Cassandra, and she went to the opposite side of the hospital wing to Madame Pomphery's office. She tentatively knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came the nurse's reply.

"It's Cassandra Calaway, Madame, I just wanted to tell you that Draco is awake and . . ." she didn't get to finish her sentence, for the nurse threw open the door.

"How long has he been awake, Miss Calaway?" demanded Madame Pomphery.

"About five minutes or so, I'd say," she replied.

"Well, you should have come to me the moment he woke up! Does he have any other symptoms?" asked the nurse while walking away from her office door and towards Draco's bed. Cassandra followed her.

"Yes, he has a pounding headache and a slight case of amnesia, I think," she said. "He can't remember anything from after the second week of September until now."

"Well, the headache I can cure, but the amnesia, well . . ." Cassandra didn't like the way she said that at all, and by now they were at Draco's bedside.

"Miss Calaway, who do you think would be the best person to fill Mister Malfoy in on the events of the seven weeks?" questioned Madame Pomphery. "They would have to be both someone he trusted and someone that has spent a lot of time with him during that time period," she added.

"I'd say that I would be the best person for the job, Madame," said Cassandra.

"Very well then. Any free time that you have, I want you to be talking with Mister Malfoy about anything significant that has happened in the time period of his memory loss. Do both of you understand?" she asked, looking from Cassandra to Draco and back again. They both nodded.

"Now, Mister Malfoy, simply take this potion and your head should be feeling much better, then you are free to go. I would suggest you begin refreshing his memory immediately, Miss Calaway," said Madame Pomphery while taking a potion out of a cabinet next to Draco's bed and pouring some of it into a glass. She handed the glass to Draco, who swallowed its contents in one gulp.

"You're quite lucky, Mister Malfoy, that the Bludger didn't do more damage than it did. You two may go, if you hurry you can make it to dinner on time, it starts in five minutes," said Madame Pomphery, and the two students left rather quickly.

"I have too much to be telling you about to have to delay in the Great Hall," I said immediately, and turned in the opposite direction of the Great Hall and instead headed for the staircases.

"But Cassandra, I'm _hungry_," complained Draco.

"Not to worry, we'll just go knick some food from the kitchens," said Cassandra casually. She did her best not to laugh at the look on Draco's face.

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AN: And that's the end of chapter one! I'm REALLY excited about writing this! And, if you are reading this and you haven't read it's prequel (_Malfoy's Twin_) yet, that's okay, because there isn't really much needed information in there. Anything that is SUPER important, you will hear Cassandra explaining to Draco. I can imagine you are pretty lost right now, though, so here's a quick background check:

-Draco's parents are forced to be Death Eaters

-Before sixth year, Cassandra had never been to Hogwarts because of her adoptive parents

-Cassandra and Draco are twins separated at birth (long story, read chapter one of the prequel if you want to know it)

-Draco told Cassandra about their twin-ship (as she didn't know) in the last week of September of this school year

-Cassandra is a tight friend with the golden trio, and she and Harry are dating

-Because Cassandra and Draco are friends, the trio and Draco became friends, although they took a week or two to adjust.

And that's about all you really need to know to make any sense of this story. So, TTFN, ta-ta for now!

XxX SpicySugar XxX


	2. Nightmare

AN:guys,I am SO INCREDIBLY SORRY!I've been meaning to update this for a while, this chapter's been written for 2 weeks . . . but I never found time to get on the darned computer! ...stupid parents... but ooh boy am I excited!!! I can't wait to write this whole story! But I'm sure you all are just as excited to be reading it, so I'll just cut to the chase.

Oh, and sorry about that repeat of the author's note at the beginning and end, I didn't mean to do that.

And, special thanks to **XxXbloody nekoXxX, Mirrorimage of Hermione, SaphiretheVampiricWerewolf, leafsgurl999, **and** Jessica-McConell**!

Now, enough delay and onto the chapter!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!!!!!

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_Later that night found Cassandra and Draco walking around the lake, talking and looking up at the stars occasionally._

"_So . . . so you're saying that this plant told you that you would grow up to marry Potter – er, I mean, Harry?" said Draco in between laughs._

"_Stop laughing! Yes, it told me that!" said Cassandra, blushing furiously._

"_It really said, 'and you will grow up to marry the-boy-who-lived'?" said Draco, still chuckling._

"_Well . . . no, it – it didn't say that," said Cassandra slowly._

"_So what did it say?" asked Draco, becoming serious._

"_It – it said that I would grow old with the person – the person that I loved now," explained Cassandra, blushing again._

_There was a stunned silence from Draco. He stopped walking and just sort of stared at Cassandra._

'_What?" asked Cassandra curiously. Draco still remained silent for a moment, and then he sat down on the edge of the lake. He patted the space of ground next to him, as if inviting Cassandra to join him, so she did so. They both just sat there staring out at the still lake for a minute, before Draco finally spoke._

"_Cass, there's – there's something I should probably tell you," said Draco quietly, not meeting her eyes._

"_What is it, Draco?" asked Cassandra, looking at him with sympathetic eyes._

"_I've – I've never really . . . loved anyone . . . so I sort of convinced myself, I guess, that no one else never really had a 'first love' either, at least when they were still, well, school age," confessed Draco, and a pink tinge appeared in his cheeks. Cassandra suddenly, if possible, looked even more sympathetic than she already had been._

"_Oh Draco, I can't believe that! Surely there's someone you've had even a tiny little crush on!" encouraged Cassandra, desperate for some hint of love in Draco._

"_No, Cass, no. There's never been anyone, and there never will be anyone," stated Draco with a tone of finality. He looked close to tears, and Cassandra did notice his eyes watering. She just scooted a little closer to him and gave him a friendly hug. She could feel his shoulders shuddering from trying not to cry, but even his best efforts could not hold back the tears. He didn't sob, he didn't whimper, just silent tears were flowing down his face. The temperature had dropped dramatically since they had arrived outside, and Cassandra wrapped her cloak more tightly around her._

"_Draco, if we don't go inside soon, your tears might freeze to your face," said Cassandra in an attempt to make him laugh. She did see a slight smile on his face._

"_Okay," he said. "I feel like a wimp, crying in front of you."_

"_It's all right! After all, I am your sister," said Cassandra comfortingly. "Now, let me clean up your face a little," said Cassandra, and she let go of Draco to get out her wand, but it wasn't there._

"_Looking for this?" came a voice from behind her. She turned around and gasped, seeing a black hooded-cloaked figure, holding her wand, and tried to grab Draco's hand, but she couldn't find it. She didn't dare turn back around to see where he was. Instead, she stood up and prepared to defend herself. Wand or no wand, she did know some self-defense. She attempted a kick to trip up her opponent, but he caught her leg and stopped her. _

"_That prophecy was right! You can't be separated!"_

_Although she was confused at her opponent's words, she quickly reacted with a smooth punch in the face to whomever this person was, but as she did, heard a loud splash behind her. While her opponent was delayed by her punch, she looked behind her to see Draco in the middle of the lake, and the shadow of someone running into the Forbidden Forest. She kicked her opponent hard in the stomach while he was still distracted and jumped into the lake to get Draco, which was really a very stupid thing to do, since Draco could swim to the edge just fine by himself._

_She could feel the water getting colder and colder around her body . . . she looked for Draco and could not find him . . . she couldn't breathe . . . she was going to die . . ._

Cassandra bolted upright, breathing heavily. It was only a dream . . . She was freezing: she had broken out in a cold sweat, and her body was drenched. Shivering, she looked around her, and saw that she was in the infirmary. Before she could wonder what she was doing there, Harry appeared in the middle of the room and rushed over to her. Cassandra guessed he had been wearing his invisibility cloak.

"Cassandra! Are you all right?" asked Harry, peering down at her.

"I'm – I'm fine Harry . . . just a nightmare . . . why am I here? What happened?" demanded Cassandra.

"Draco told Hermione, Ron, and I about it. You were talking outside, around the lake. He said that he had challenged you to a race: whoever got to the castle first won. You had said that you were tired, and didn't want to run, but he insisted that it would wake you up a little. So you two started to run, but you apparently got too tired to run anymore, stopped, and fainted. Draco didn't realize you weren't behind him until he got to the castle, and when he didn't see you there, he immediately ran back out to find you. You were lying on the bank of the lake, and your legs were in the water. He levitated you back here to the infirmary," explained Harry.

"Oh . . . all I remember is talking with him, after that, it's all blank," said Cassandra.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I'm fine!" insisted Cassandra. "I just . . . want to . . . sleep . . ." she didn't continue, for she immediately fell back down onto her pillow and fell asleep.

XxXxXxX

"You _what?_" demanded a shocked Hermione the next morning at breakfast.

"I stayed up in the hospital wing under the invisibility cloak, waiting for her to wake up. Need I say it _again_?" replied Harry.

"Harry, I realize you care about her, Ron and I – and Draco – do too. But there was no need to _wait _for her to wake up and risk getting caught doing that!" scolded Hermione.

"But I _didn't_ get caught, so can we drop it? Please?"

"Can you at least tell us what she said?" asked Ron, anxious to stop their quarrel; although, it was nice to have Hermione yelling at someone _other _than him for once.

"She just wanted to know what happened. And she told me she had a nightmare, but that's all," said Harry calmly. However, Harry saw both of his friends' faces tense at the word 'nightmare.'

"Oh, so now you both think that nightmares aren't _normal_ just because of a few I've had?" asked Harry, beginning to get angry. _Why _did they seem to have such a problem with this little episode?

"Look, Harry, we're just a little concerned, we don't want Cassandra to have to go through what you did, too," said Hermione, her voice softening. "Did she tell you what it was about?"

"No, I don't think she wanted to talk about it. I mean, no one likes to talk about nightmares," said Harry logically.

"True, but I think I'll pay her a little visit today. Good thing it's Sunday, so she won't miss any classes," said Hermione, rising from the Gryffindor table and heading for the doors.

XxXxXxX

Cassandra was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if her nightmare meant anything. She hoped it didn't . . . after all, none of her others from her childhood (that she remembered) had any significance at all. She was just about to doze off again when she heard a knock on the hospital wing doors. Judging by the fact that there were no other patients in the Infirmary at the moment, she guessed that it was either a visitor for her, or a teacher, which was much more likely. However, when Madame Pomphery let the person in, she was very pleased to see that it was Hermione. She walked over to Cassandra's bed and sat down in a chair next to it.

"Hey, Hermione," said Cassandra, happy to have someone to talk to. "Where are Harry and Ron and Draco?"

"Draco I'm not sure about, but Harry and Ron are stuffing their faces in the Great Hall," said Hermione with a laugh. Cassandra giggled, but then became serious again.

"Why did you come to see me? Something important?" she asked.

"Well, yes, actually. Harry told me that you had a nightmare, and I was wondering what it was about. I thought that maybe you could get it off of your mind by sharing it with someone."

"I dunno, Hermione . . . I don't think it's really a big deal . . ." said Cassandra hesitantly.

"You know what happened to Harry last year, Cass. I don't want that to happen to you," said Hermione quietly. Cassandra reflected back to the fifth book where Harry had so many nightmares that led to such dire consequences.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I remember," said Cassandra, making up her mind. "Draco and I were talking, sitting by the lake, and I went to get my wand, but I couldn't find it. I turned around and saw this person in a black hooded cloak standing there, and we fought a little . . . my only motivation was self-defense, though. I remember him saying something about Draco and me . . . but I can't remember what!" said Cassandra, frustrated.

"Come on, Cassandra, try to remember! It could be important!" said Hermione, who had been listening patiently.

"I'm trying!" said Cassandra, her face buried in her hands. She appeared to be thinking very hard.

"Think!" said Hermione.

"It began with a 'P,' I remember that," said Cassandra.

"P-words . . . hmm . . . Pray?" suggested Hermione.

"No."

"Proportion?

"No."

"Proper?"

"No."

"Put out?"

"No, that wasn't it either. Something more serious, I think . . ." said Cassandra, still thinking hard. There was silence from the two girls for a minute or two, before they both came up with the same revelation.

"_Prophecy!_" they said simultaneously.

"That was it! He said that . . . there was something about Draco and me - well, he actually said 'you two,' but I'm pretty sure he was referring to Draco and me – and a prophecy. But other than that, I can't remember anything. For all we know, he could have been referring to anyone with that prophecy!" said Cassandra. "I wish they would let me out of this stupid hospital wing so I can figure this out properly," complained Cassandra. "But, you know, it's just a nightmare. There probably isn't even a real prophecy about it. But I just want to find out for sure!"

"I know exactly how you feel, trust me," said Hermione. "When I was turned into a cat in second year, I wanted out of this hospital wing so badly so I could help out Harry and Ron. But, they figured it out anyway, while I was, well, you know . . ." she trailed off.

"Petrified?" Cassandra supplied.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm sure you'll be out of here today, tomorrow morning at the latest. Maybe you should try to talk Madame Pomphery into getting you out now," said Hermione quietly.

"Miss Granger! You're time is up!" said Madame Pomphery, appearing from out of her office.

"Speak of the devil . . ." said Cassandra quietly, and both girls giggled.

"I'm going Madame, I'm going . . ." said Hermione, getting up and walking out of the doors.

"Madame Pomphery, is there any chance of me being released from the Infirmary today?" asked Cassandra, in the most angelic voice she could manage.

"No, Miss Calaway, you will be released tomorrow morning as scheduled," said Madame Pomphery with a tone of finality. Apparently, her most angelic voice wasn't quite angelic enough.

"But Madame, I only fainted! I really don't need to stay here any longer!" said Cassandra, now desperate.

"And you were half immersed in the lake when you were found! I am waiting for your body to completely recover from that before you are released," said Madame Pomphery, and Cassandra knew it was no use. "Now, I suggest you get some rest. It will help you heal quicker." Cassandra obediently laid her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes, but she was not going to be going to sleep for quite a while. She had _way _too much to be thinking about.

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AN: There you go - chapter 2 all nice and finished. I've already got chapter 3 & 4 typed as well, so expect those within the week. This is going a little faster than I had anticipated, so don't expect any more revelations for a while, okay? Until next time, XxX SpicySugar XxX.


	3. The Carlisus Potion

AN: Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't QUITE update within the week. I'm busy and I'm lazy. I'll try to have chaoter 4 up a little sooner, since it's already written. And, thanks to my THREE SOLITARY REVIEWERS for chapter 2: **Nosilla, Queenofwitches, **and **Jessica-McConell.**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, I own him not. Sigh.

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That night, Cassandra had the same nightmare again, but this time she remembered even less than before. She was glad to get out of the hospital wing the next morning. It was too white for her liking: everywhere you looked, it was so bright that it gave you a headache. Although Madame Pomphery had given her porridge that morning in the hospital wing for her breakfast, she had pulled out her wand and muttered a vanishing spell while the nurse had her back turned to satisfy her so she would let her leave. Cassandra hated porridge. She was very much looking forward to getting to the Great Hall to get some breakfast before everyone left and all the food was gone. She walked into the Great Hall and quickly saw her friends sitting at the Gryffindor table, talking. She smiled and walked over to them. However, her smile faded when she noticed their abrupt stop in conversation upon her arrival. She had a strange feeling that they had been talking about her. Their overly cheerful "Hello's" and "Good morning's" didn't help that feeling much. However, she tried not to think about it too much and plopped down next to Harry.

"Good morning all," said Cassandra cheerfully, spooning everything within reach onto her plate. She was always terribly hungry in the morning.

"Hey Cassandra. We were just . . . talking about you," said Hermione, trying to sound casual - so much for trying to ignore her suspicion.

"I'd noticed," said Cassandra dryly, quickly removing her cheerful façade. "So, what was it this time? Draco and me being siblings, my being weak outside two nights ago and fainting, or the nightmare I had that night?"

"First of all, we're quite over the fact of you and Draco being related. Secondly, you weren't weak when you fainted – just tired. It's Draco's fault for making you try to run when you didn't want to. And, yes, we were talking about your nightmare," answered Hermione.

"I really think you shouldn't worry about it; that's all it was, a nightmare. You three take life way too seriously; you need to have fun once in a while, especially you, Harry. You're just too . . . serious about stuff." Cassandra then lowered her voice to a whisper and spoke into his ear, so Ron and Hermione wouldn't hear. "I realize that fairly soon you are either going to be murdered or become a murderer, but you can cross that bridge when you come to it. For now, have a good time." She realized that Harry hadn't told Ron or Hermione about what was in the prophecy yet, and she didn't want that exposed to them. She felt Harry nod slightly and she sat back up straight and saw him smile a bit. She also noticed a goofy grin on Hermione's face, and a confused look on Ron's. Cassandra put two and two together and realized what Hermione might be thinking – since she had just told Harry about having fun, she could have just suggested her and him meet alone somewhere to have the time of their lives. Cassandra glared at Hermione and shook her head slightly. Poor Ron, however, was still very confused, and now Hermione was, too. Cassandra rolled her eyes and finished off her breakfast quickly.

XxXxXxX

The day seemed to fly by until Potions class, where Cassandra took her usual seat next to Draco for their Potions project. This was the last day of it – they would be testing them today. Everyone was either excited or nervous – Snape had given them all a potion they all had never heard of, even Hermione, and he never told them what it was. He was going to tell them today and then they would test them on their partners. Cassandra hoped it wasn't a love potion or something – she didn't want to be falling in love with her brother. Then again, Snape would be more likely to assign something much more lethal. Cassandra was one of the nervous ones, and she fidgeted in her seat until Snape barged in the door.

"Well, I daresay that I am going to congratulate you on getting this far with this potion – it is highly advanced. However, we shall see who really was successful with it today. And, the Headmaster requires that I have an abundant supply of the antidote on hand, so no one needs to worry," added Snape, although he looked much rather like he would want to see his students suffer from whatever the consequences would be if they hadn't properly brewed the potion.

Cassandra gave another nervous fidget.

"The potion you have most likely not successfully brewed is the Carlisus Potion. Can anyone tell me its properties?" asked Snape, scanning the room. To everyone's surprise, even Hermione's hand wasn't raised.

"No one? Well then, the Carlisus Potion allows you to see the innermost thoughts of whoever takes the same potion for exactly 24 hours – one day," Snape said with a cruel smile. Cassandra heard many groans, especially from Harry. She didn't blame him – he was partnered with Lavender, and who would want to be seeing any of her gossipy thoughts?

Cassandra wasn't sure how she would feel about it. Maybe the potion wouldn't even work, and she would just end up being normal. A normal person with a failing grade. Okay, so maybe she _did_ want the potion to work - but only because she wanted to pass the class. Snape was now walking around the room, handing everyone their labeled potions that were now in large beakers. Once everyone had their potion, Snape instructed them all to each take out a small flask and pour equal amounts of the potion into each one, and then both partners drink them at the same time.

Draco carefully made sure each flask had exactly equal amounts before handing one to Cassandra.

"Cheers," said Cassandra nervously, and they touched their flasks before they both gulped them down. Cassandra put her flask gingerly down on the table before silently gagging.

"Yuck, that stuff tastes _horrible_!" she said, and Draco agreed.

"Tell me about it . . ." Draco trailed off. They both looked at each other, and then they both had the same exact tingling, numbing feeling in their heads at the exact same time. It lasted only for about ten seconds and then it went away. Cassandra heard Draco's voice.

'_Whoa, that must have been the potion sinking in . . . that felt weird.'_

"No kidding," said Cassandra out loud, in agreement to him.

"Sorry?" said Draco, looking at her, confused.

"You just said that you had that weird feeling in your head, and I had it too," said Cassandra.

"No – no, I didn't. I – I thought that . . ." he said, and then realization hit him and Cassandra at the same time.

'_It works!' _thought Cassandra excitedly.

'_I can hear you . . . I can't believe it! It actually works!' _Cassandra heard Draco's voice again, but this time she knew it was his thoughts, not his voice.

'_The only downside is that we'll be able to hear everything we each think. That could get annoying.'_

'_I wonder if we can see each other's dreams?' _wondered Cassandra. She hoped not . . . she didn't fancy Draco seeing her recurring nightmare.

"I can see that all of you have successfully brewed the potion, judging by your silence, since you are all most likely communicating by thought," said Snape. "Don't get too used to it, remember: by this time tomorrow, it will have worn off. Now, our next potion will only be taking today and the next class, and you will all be working individually." Everyone heard Neville groan miserably. "Now all of you return to your regular seats immediately and I will explain it to you."

XxXxXxXxX

After Potions, everyone headed back to the common rooms to get started on homework. Cassandra would have gone somewhere with Draco to talk about everything he had forgotten, but Hermione practically drug her to the common room. Cassandra however, had a plan. She took a book out of her bag that she was supposed to read for History of Magic, opened it to the middle, and then pretended to read while she contacted Draco.

'_Draco, are you there?' _she asked.

'_Yeah. What's up?' _he answered.

'_I just figured you might want to know a little bit more about what happened since you bumped your head on that statue. You were lucky that we had finished the potions project before that Bludger hit you in the head, or we would have been in deep trouble.'_

'_No kidding. And I'm more than willing to hear whatever happened that was important. Anything is better than homework.'_

'_Okay then. Where did I leave off? Us in the Forbidden Forest?'_

'_Yeah, somewhere around there.'_

'_Well, after we had made our wish and all, we darted back up to Dumbledore's office . . .'_

XxXxXxXxX

Cassandra had been talking to Draco for some time, hours most likely, when a voice startled her out of her little mind chat.

"Must be some interesting page, since you haven't turned it since you opened that book." It was Harry.

'_Uh-oh, I'm caught.'_

'_What?'_

'_I was pretending to read while I was talking to you, and Harry noticed that I wasn't really reading. Hold on a second.'_

'_Okay.'_

"Uh, yeah, just, uh, studying up, you know," Cassandra said, quite unconvincingly. She then noticed that there was no one else in the common room except Ron and Hermione, on opposite sides of the room. Most likely Hermione was trying to keep Ron from copying her homework, while still making him go without food until he finished his work. "Where is everybody?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"All down at dinner, it's 6:45. I figured I'd better get you out of that book that was _so _interesting before you missed dinner completely," said Harry, grinning. I knew he had won – it was plain that I wasn't reading.

"Yeah, I guess I should get some food."

'_Draco, did you know it's dinner time?'_

'_Yes, I'm eating now.'_

'_Why you little . . .' _Cassandra thought angrily. She didn't realize she was speaking out loud also.

"Oh, I get it. You were talking to Draco, weren't you?" asked Harry. "At least _you're_ enjoying the effects of the potion. Now, want to go down to the Great Hall to get some food?" asked Harry.

"Sure. Let's go," she said, standing. "Don't keep him away from his food for too long, Hermione," she called over to her. Hermione looked up at her and just rolled her eyes. Harry and Cassandra walked out of the common room and got halfway down to the Great Hall when Harry realized he'd forgotten his book on Occlumency. He had been planning to study at dinner so he could block Lavender's thoughts from his mind and keep his thoughts out of Lavender's mind. He turned around to go back to get it, and he told Cassandra to keep going when she motioned to follow him.

"Fine, I'll go without you, but don't blame me when there isn't any food left for you!" I called jokingly. Harry just laughed and kept walking.

XxX

Hermione had been concentrating on her work, or at least _trying _to, when she was interrupted by a loud cry of frustration from Ron.

"Hermione _please_ let me copy your work! This stupid Transfiguration assignment doesn't make any sense at all!" he begged.

"Ron, all you had to do was ask for help. Here," she said, walking over to where he was sitting and standing next to him. He leaned his large wooden chair back on one leg, the one closest to Hermione, as she began to explain it. She noticed how he was sitting halfway through a sentence.

"Ron, you might fall if you don't put that chair on all four of it's legs," she scolded him, and just as she put her hands on the chair to push it against the floor, he lost his balance and fell off of the chair – directly onto Hermione. She screamed and he yelled, and before he knew what was happening, he was flattening her to the ground with his body weight, partly because the chair had fallen on top of him – it was a very heavy chair. The force of their hitting the ground caused his head to lurch forward slightly, and he, without meaning to, pressed his own lips against Hermione's. Both of them stunned for a moment, neither did anything until they heard hysterical laughter, and Ron felt the weight of the chair lift from his back, which was a welcome relief. He immediately jumped off of Hermione as if she had burned him, and turned his head towards the portrait hole, where Harry was standing, his wand out, levitating the chair, and laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"How long have you been there?" demanded Ron.

"Oh, I walked in and caught the last words of Hermione scolding you for sitting improperly on the chair," said Harry, still snickering. He placed the chair down next to the table. "That was just so unbelievably _funny!_"

"Ha ha, so funny that I forgot to laugh," said Ron dryly.

"But seriously . . ." said Harry, looking around Ron to Hermione, who wasn't moving. Harry walked over to her while Ron kept his distance.

"Hermione, are you all right?" he asked, kneeling next to her. She opened her eyes and seemed to snap back to reality immediately. She sat bolt upright and looked from the chair, to Ron, to Harry, and back again.

"Ron, you _never_ listen to me, do you? I _told _you that you would fall if you were only leaning on one leg of the chair," she said, but she was blushing slightly. Only Harry noticed this, however.

"Hey, you guys, dinner is going to be over soon, and I think it might be a good idea if we get to the Great Hall before there's no food left," said Harry, trying to break the tension between Hermione and Ron.

"Sure, let's go, I'm starved," said Ron, practically sprinting towards the portrait hole.

"Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Right behind you, I'm rather hungry myself," she replied. Harry went ahead of her and they both walked rather quickly down to the Great Hall, sitting across from Cassandra and Ron, who were already there. Harry could tell by the glazed look in Cassandra's eyes that she must be talking to Draco again.

'_Harry's finally here . . . I wonder what took him so long? He was just supposed to get a book . . . that he doesn't have with him.'_

'_Dunno, ask him. Then tell me if it's interesting.'_

'_All right.'_

"So, Harry, what took you so long? And where's your Occlumency book?" asked Cassandra casually.

"Oh, never mind the Occlumency, it's just one day, after all. I'll tell you what took me so long later," he replied, glancing at Ron, who was digging into his food and not paying attention to a single word Harry was saying. Hermione simply shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

'_He says he'll tell me later.'_

'_Darn. It must be good, then. Tell me when you find out.'_

'_Unless it's something personal.'_

'_Fine then.'_

XxXxX

After dinner, Harry pulled Cassandra out of the Great Hall and up to the Gryffindor Common Room, where there were still hardly any students.

"Cassandra, it's now only a matter of time before Ron and Hermione are together," said Harry. "I've been watching them since last year, noticing little things, and I just know it's going to happen soon." As he explained what had happened between Ron and Hermione in the common room, Cassandra couldn't help herself but to laugh, no matter how hard she tried not to.

'_Okay, I'm not going to laugh, I'm not going to laugh, I'm not going to laugh . . . oh what's the use?'_

She suddenly burst out laughing, and the few students that were in the common room looked at her strangely. She eventually regained her composure and heard Draco talking to her.

'_So, I take it that whatever it was, it was funny?'_

'_Hilarious. I'm not sure if I should tell you though, it's a bit personal . . .'_

'_Please?'_

'_I don't know . . .'_

'_Pretty please? With a sugar quill on top?_

'_Well, if you've lowered yourself to begging . . . oh, why not? Just promise not to tell anyone, okay?'_

'_I promise.'_

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AN: How's that for a chapter? YAY FOR ALL THE RON-HERMIONE SUPPORTERS! This was a pretty satisfactory chapter, if I do say so myself. R&R, everyone! I NEED THEM!


	4. Of Much Discussion

AN: Well, here I am again, giving another chapter to my THREE solitary reviewers. Of course, there are the likely silent readers out there, who are most likely lazy, because they don't take the very small amount of time (probably less than a minute) that it takes to review a chapter to tell me what they think. (And I KNOW that there HAS to be silent readers out there, because there is NO WAY that, out of the 155 people who have me on their Author Alert list, only THREE of them found this story interesting - I very much appreciate the 3 people who DO review, however. For one thing,I know that there was more than 3 people reviewing Malfoy's Twin, the prequel, and they were ALL eager to read the sequel, as they told me soin REVIEWS.)

Disclaimer: What are the chances of me actually owning Harry Potter? I think you all can deduce for yourselves that I don't.

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As Thanksgiving approached and Cassandra had filled Draco in on everything that had happened in the time period of his amnesia, with some memories of his own, Cassandra began to miss her old family more and more. Even though she knew that her "mother" wasn't her real mother, nor her "father" was her real father, she loved them dearly and she hadn't seen them since the third week of August, although communicating occasionally by owl. She discussed this longing with Draco one Saturday while walking around the grounds. It was unseasonably warm for November.

"Draco, I just don't know what to do about this . . . there's a United States holiday coming up, Thanksgiving, and I'd always celebrated it with my family. But now that I'm here in England, it's not like I can just hop on the train and go home. And, I mean, they aren't even my real family. And plus, what would I do with out magic for that time?" she asked Draco, who was listening patiently.

"Well, Cassandra, I think the best thing to do would be to go home for Thanksgiving. It's what I would do. I mean, if you miss your family that much, what better to do than to go see them?" he responded.

"Good point, but I would have to get permission from the Headmaster. It might not be a good enough reason to him for me to miss school." Cassandra was now getting worried that she might not get to see her family at all.

"Cass, he's so lenient, he'd probably let you go home if you had a headache," said Draco jokingly. Cassandra laughed.

"I suppose you're right. I just hope I can get a hold of him to talk to him – he might have changed the password to his office since we arrived last time," said Cassandra seriously. "I think I'll go now, before it gets too short notice." Cassandra got up, closely followed by Draco, and they both headed for the castle.

XxXxX

Ron walked aimlessly around the halls, pretending to do his prefect duties when he was really not paying any attention to where he was going or what he was doing. He was too busy thinking about Hermione, about him and her.

That little episode in the common room was a total accident, but he couldn't help but notice his liking it – not the falling part or the heavy chair on his back part, those were both kind of painful – what he liked was the kiss that he and Hermione had shared, if you could even call it that. He had always felt weird around Hermione, but then again, he had felt strange around all girls – him and the female race had never really gotten along that well, so it was a miracle when he and Hermione had become friends. But now, now there was an inkling of them being _more_ than friends, and that accidental kiss had initiated it. '_Or maybe,' _Ron thought, _'it had been there all along, and that just made it stronger.'_

He made up his mind: he had to talk to Cassandra about this. She was his only other trustworthy female friend, so she might be able to help him out. The only problem was, he didn't know where she was at the moment, and he wanted to talk to her immediately. He knew where Harry was, however, and Harry knew where the Marauders' Map was. Ron did an abrupt about face and walked briskly back towards the common room.

He was just passing the entrance to Dumbledore's office when he saw Cassandra at the end of the corridor. Excellent, he wouldn't have to detour now!

"Cassandra!" he called to her, and began jogging towards her. Upon arriving in front of her, she looked at him, very confused.

"What Ron?" she asked curiously.

"I need to talk to you alone, someplace private, immediately," he said. Cassandra thought she knew what he might be saying, and tried to end the conversation right then.

"Look, Ron, I don't like you in that way, and I really need to . . ." but Ron cut her off.

"No, no, no, it's not that!" said Ron hurriedly. "I just need your help with an issue of mine. Now can we please, like, go outside or something, so we can talk?" he asked, and he put on his best puppy dog face.

"Well, all right, come on," said Cassandra, and she turned around and began walking in the direction that she had just come from, Ron close behind her.

Once they got outside and were underneath a tree, although it wasn't providing much shade, since all the leaves had fallen off, Ron began to tell Cassandra about what he had been feeling.

"Cassandra, something happened in the common room last Monday that really . . . well, let me explain it first. See, Hermione was helping me with homework, and I was leaning back in my chair and lost my balance, and I fell right on top of her, and we kind of accidentally . . . kissed," he finished sheepishly.

Cassandra tried to look as though this story wasn't new to her. "How do you 'accidentally' kiss someone, Ron? Seems a bit unlikely to me."

"It was just the way we landed, stop trying to complicate things! Anyway, ever since then, I've not been able to think about anything but her, and I get flustered when I talk to her. Is that just because I'm embarrassed about it or, or something else?" he asked, not meeting Cassandra's eyes. Cassandra smiled to herself . . . Harry was right; it was only a matter of time before they were _finally_ together.

"Well, Ron, it could be both. Hermione was wrong, perhaps you do have a bigger emotional range than just a teaspoon," said Cassandra. "And look at me. I can't talk to you properly if I can't see your face." Ron looked up to her slowly.

"I'm just so confused, Cassandra . . . I'm not exactly sure what the 'something else' emotion is, but I know it's there."

"Ron, have you ever stopped to consider that it might be something like love?" asked Cassandra quietly.

"W-what? _Love_? Cassy, I – I don't think so . . . Hermione's like, my best friend . . ." protested Ron.

"Ron, it's always best to be friends before you date someone, that's a good policy to follow," said Cassandra. "I know I follow it. As a matter of fact, before now, I had never dated anyone." She knew that this would be the right time to tell Ron about her and Harry. It was only fair that he knew.

"So you mean that you're dating someone now, and you were friends with them first?" asked Ron, suddenly quite curious.

"Yes, and I know for a fact that I'm going to marry him later on in life."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Cass," said Ron jokingly.

"Good point. Anyway, my point is that being friends first is a good thing."

"Right. Um, Cass, if you don't mind me asking . . ." Ron trailed off.

"Who am I dating?" supplied Cassandra.

"Yeah. I mean, you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious," he said hastily.

"Oh, I don't mind telling you. Hermione's already figured it out. It's Harry. Harry and I are dating," said Cassandra casually.

"_Harry_?" said Ron, shocked. "Gee, I never saw that one coming. I hope you two are happy together."

"So you approve, then?"

"Of course I do. I've really got no control over you. It's Ginny I'm worried about," said Ron. "Now, can we get back to the topic at hand?"

"Right. So, you're wondering whether or not you are simply embarrassed about what happened or if you are actually in love with Hermione. I, personally, think it's the latter option, with perhaps a hint of embarrassment added in," said Cassandra.

"Okay, but I still think 'love' is too strong a word."

"I don't, you should see all the hints in the books . . . they're everywhere!" said Cassandra.

"But, how do I know that she feels the same way about me?" asked Ron, sounding worried.

"I'll do a little double-agent work myself and find out if she does or not, and I'll make it nice and easy for you," said Cassandra, winking at him. "Besides, I don't know how she couldn't! You _are_ quite handsome, you know." Ron blushed.

"Thanks. What should I do if she does, well, feel that way about me?"

"Ask her out, silly! And be sure to buy her something while you're out. It doesn't have to cost dozens of Galleons, just show her that you're thinking of her. But don't buy her something that's really cheap either, you'll make her think she isn't worth anything. I'm really getting ahead of myself, just come to me for advice once she's accepted your invitation to go wherever. I would suggest taking her to Hogsmeade, myself. I love it there," advised Cassandra.

"Thank you so much, Cassandra! This really helped!" said Ron, rising.

"You're welcome, I'm glad I could be of assistance. I'll tell you when I've made a breakthrough with Hermione, all right?" said Cassandra, also rising.

"Okay. Thanks again."

"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to," said Cassandra, and she headed back towards the castle. Meanwhile, Ron was left by the tree, pondering everything Cassandra had said.

XxXxX

After Cassandra had made off for the castle, Draco had been thinking about her decision to go back to her home. It certainly was daring of her to simply try to take off of school for two days or more for a holiday that no one outside of the States celebrated. Professor Dumbledore might not have even heard of it before. But then again, the aged Headmaster seemed to know everything. It was while Draco was thinking about all of this that he began to think about her old family, and how they must be terribly worried about her, and if she had found her family okay. She had never told him if she had informed her parents about finding out about him or not. They might want to meet him. It was then that Draco made a very, _very _bold decision.

He was going with her, no matter what Professor Dumbledore said.

He immediately began sprinting back up to the castle, hoping to catch up with her before she got all the way to Dumbledore's office.

XxXxX

Cassandra was again walking towards Dumbledore's office, in the same corridor where she had first been interrupted. She hoped that she wouldn't be delayed even further, but more so she hoped that she wasn't interrupting Dumbledore in the middle of any important paperwork or something. Just as she stopped in front of the gargoyle marking the entrance to his office, she heard her name being shouted from the far end of the corridor.

"CASSANDRA! WAIT A MINUTE!" Came Draco's call. She leaned back against the wall and waited for him to catch up to her. Great. He even _knew_ what she was doing and he was keeping her from it.

"Thank goodness you haven't gone into his office yet! I thought you would have been up there by now!" he said, panting.

"I got sidetracked. So, what brings you to try to talk with me _before_ I have my little chat with Dumbledore?" asked Cassandra, and Draco could tell she was annoyed.

"Cass, I want to go with you, when you go back home. I'm going with you," he panted.

"Whatever would make you want to do that?" asked Cassandra, standing up straight.

"Cassandra, have you told them that you've found out who your family was?"

"Yes, but I didn't tell them who. Why?"

"Well, don't you think they'd want to meet your brother?" asked Draco. "Plus, it would be nice to experience an American holiday," he added.

"Look, as good of an idea as that is, and as much as I'd love for you to come, what makes you think Dumbledore would allow it?"

"You just have to be persuasive, and I'm a very persuasive person. In fact, if you let me do the talking, I think I'll even be able to make him let us use magic while we're gone. After all, wouldn't you want to show your parents all you've learned?" said Draco with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll let you try to persuade Dumbledore. But don't expect him to say yes," warned Cassandra.

"Don't worry."

"Earwax," said Cassandra, turning to the gargoyle. It didn't move. Cassandra and Draco looked at each other, then back at the gargoyle.

"Darn you! He must have changed the password after we guessed it before!"

"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans!" guessed Draco.

"Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!"

"Chocolate Frog!"

"Acid pop!"

"Sugar Quill!"

"Life Savers!"

"Life Savers?" repeated Draco.

"It's a muggle candy."

"Um . . . Toffee!"

"Gummy worms!" At the look on Draco's face, Cassandra clarified herself. "Another muggle candy."

"Blood pop!"

"Are you two looking for me?" came a voice from behind them. They both turned around and saw Professor Dumbledore standing there, his eyes twinkling and a smile on his face.

"Yes, Professor, we wanted to talk to you about something," said Cassandra.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry I wasn't around to answer your call, I was attending to some business on the third floor. Peeves was causing a little bit of havoc," said the Headmaster. "So, let's go up to my office, shall we? Orange sherbert," he said to the gargoyle, and it moved aside to reveal the spiral staircase. He began the ascent, and Cassandra and Draco followed. Once all three were seated in armchairs, Dumbledore behind his desk and Cassandra and Draco facing him, they began to discuss what Cassandra had been waiting so long for.

"So, what is it you two wanted to tell me?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, sir, you know that my old family lives in America, and there is a holiday that is coming up soon – a week and a half from now, next Thursday – that we celebrate there," said Cassandra.

"Thanksgiving, I believe it is?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Yes, and, before I came here, it was a time where every year I got to see my whole family. So, professor, I was just wondering if I could, well, go home for Thanksgiving – leave Thursday and then come back on Sunday."

"Well, as long as you have someone who can give you your work, I see no problem in that," said Dumbledore.

"Sir, there's one more thing," said Cassandra. "Since – since Draco is my brother and all, and my parents – my adoptive ones - have been wondering who he is, I was wondering if he could tag along?"

"Well, Miss Malfoy, he can come with you for one day – just for the Thursday, but after that he must return straight back to Hogwarts. I can only allow any guests to be there for the minimum amount of time. And Mister Malfoy is the _only _guest I am permitting you to take, and you may take him _only_ because he is your brother. Do both of you understand?"

Cassandra and Draco nodded.

"Now, I daresay, Miss Malfoy, that you would be wanting to show your parents what you have learned and assure them that Hogwarts isn't such an awful place after all, so I am allowing you to use simple charms only. I repeat, _only use simple charms_, such as cleaning spells or any other sort of convenience spell. Anything more powerful, such an advanced Transfiguration spell or any advanced Defense Spell, you will be sent a notice from the Ministry of Magic. I will contact them and tell them to wave any minor magic they detect in your house, since your adoptive parents are aware that you are a witch. But Mister Malfoy, you are forbidden to do any magic whilst you are there unless it is a dire emergency. Again, do both of you understand?"

They both nodded again.

"Good. Now, what time would you like to arrive at your home on this particular Thursday?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, I'd say that it would be nice if it was 10:00 in the morning there," responded Cassandra.

"Well then, I'd suggest you leave here around 3:00 in the afternoon, then, since we are five hours ahead of your time, Cassandra. You will be going by portkey, so it will be almost instantaneous travel. Meet me here in my office around 2:45 that day, and we'll go over all of this again, to make sure neither of you forget it. So, I believe that is everything of importance. See you two then," said Dumbledore, and the two teens rose from their chairs and exited the office.

"Well, that went much better than I expected," said Cassandra.

"No kidding, I didn't say anything!" exclaimed Draco.

"I guess I'm more persuasive than you thought," Cassandra replied with a smirk, and walked ahead of him.

"But, orange sherbert, what kind of a password is that?" asked Draco. _'It's not even a candy!'_ he thought.

"Well, it could be a _flavor_ of a candy, so it's close enough to being a candy," responded Cassandra.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks and looked right at Cassandra.

'_Cassandra, look at me,' _he thought, and she turned around.

"What?" she asked.

'_I'm not saying anything,' _he thought to her. Her eyes widened.

'_Oh God . . .'_

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AN: YES! FINALLY DONE! I thought I would never finish it! A whopping 2,927 words! A little above average. Don't know how long until the next update, but hopefully it will be within a 2 week time period. I like this story too much to abandon it.


	5. A New Mystery and an Old Problem

AN: OKAY, OKAY, I KNOW! I totally abandoned you guys for over a month! I'm really really really really REALLY sorry! My Christmas break wasn't nearly as boring as it was expected to be, and school's been a nightmare, I just finished my midterms last week and I haven't had much of a chance to get my outlines together! So, again, I'm really, truly, terribly sorry! I'm giving shout-outs this time to my few reviewers to make up for it!

**PrinstonGirl1** – ummmmm . . . why does something tell me you were on sugar when you reviewed? (LoL, I'm just kidding, Nikki.)

**BenjiMaddenFreek** – you wonder…? I plan to keep writing, hopefully more often than this!

**Mirrorimage of Hermione** – wow, what a long review . . . well, you'll just have to read and see what their newly discovered power is and/or originated from. Also . . . you've probably figured this out already, since you reviewed, like, over a month ago, but the Read Me First link on the login page tells you how to post. ;-)

And now, after I've acknowledged my three SOLITARY reviewers, onto the very long awaited chapter!

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_Last time:_

"But, orange sherbet, what kind of a password is that?" asked Draco. _'It's not even a candy!'_ he thought.

"Well, it could be a _flavor_ of a candy, so it's close enough to being a candy," responded Cassandra.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks and looked right at Cassandra.

'_Cassandra, look at me,' _he thought, and she turned around.

"What?" she asked.

'_I'm not saying anything,' _he thought to her. Her eyes widened.

'_Oh God . . .'_

xXx-xXx-xXx

_Present:_

"Draco, we need to go straight back to Dumbledore!" said Cassandra immediately.

"We – We do?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yes! He needs to know about this!" she said, and turned right back around, strode toward the gargoyle, and said, loudly and clearly, "Orange sherbet!" The gargoyle came to life and moved aside, allowing them entrance to the revolving staircase, which Cassandra stepped onto, Draco at her heels.

Once they reached the large wooden door that separated the two of them from Dumbledore, Cassandra walked purposefully up to it and knocked loudly. The door opened of its own accord, and she walked in, followed by a hesitating Draco.

'_WHY does he need to know, Cassy?' _he thought.

'_Because he just does, trust me on this one, all right?'_ she responded.

When Dumbledore saw the two students he had just dismissed returning back into his office, he was a bit surprised, but hid it quickly.

"And what brings you two back so soon?" he asked kindly.

"Professor, Draco and I have just discovered that we can read each others minds, and we want to know what is going on," said Cassandra quickly. This time, Dumbledore did not attempt to hide his astonishment.

"Mister Malfoy, is this true?"

"Yes, sir," he responded.

"Can either of you think of anything that might have caused this? Have you had this ability before? Twins have been known to sense what the other is thinking or feeling prior to this."

"Well, the only time that Draco and I ever read each other's minds was about two weeks ago, when Professor Snape had us test our Carlisus Potion on each other…it allowed us to read the other's mind for exactly 24 hours," said Cassandra.

"And after the twenty-four hours, the effects wore off?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't remember hearing anyone's thoughts but my own after that day until right now, Professor," said Draco. "And I'm dead curious as to why this is happening all of a sudden."

"Well, I think this is a matter to be discussed with Professor Snape," said Dumbledore, and he walked over to his fireplace and called Snape up to his office in the same way he had two months ago after Cassandra and Draco's detention. This time, however, he did not appear as quickly as he had then. Dumbledore had long since settled him self back behind his desk and offered Cassandra and Draco an armchair each to sit in before Professor Snape came striding into the office.

"Yes, Headmaster? What is…" Snape broke off in mid-sentence as he noticed the twins sitting there. "You two again! What have you done this time? And I don't want to hear another crackpot story about some talking plant!"

"Severus, Severus, calm down, please," said Dumbledore evenly. "This is something much more serious than a detention. It appears as though the potion you assigned these two students approximately two weeks ago – the Carlisus Potion – has given them the permanent ability to 'read' each other's minds. Do have some sort of explanation for this?"

Snape was silent for a moment, and to Cassandra it was impossible to tell if he was simply thinking or still angry over being summoned to Dumbledore's office again. Eventually, he spoke.

"Headmaster, the only time the Carlisus Potion had lasting effects was some two hundred years ago when it was taken by a set of twins. So unless these two students are twins – which is impossible– than they must have performed some sort of illegal spell on themselves, which merits an immediate suspension," said Snape silkily. Cassandra and Draco looked at each other, and then at Dumbledore, who looked back at them, and then at Snape.

"Well, Severus, nothing is impossible, only improbable. And, although it is _unlikely_ that Cassandra and Draco are twins, they, in fact, are. May I present to you the _two_ Malfoy children, born of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy?" said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling merrily. It took a moment for Snape to understand this statement. When it did sink in, his eyes widened with astonishment.

"Headmaster…that would mean…but, no…Calaway can't be…she's not the _second Malfoy child,_ Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Severus. Miss _Malfoy_ is indeed the second Malfoy child. Now, would you mind explaining to them what they need to do about this potion effect?" inquired Dumbledore.

"Oh, yes, right. Well, The Carlisus Potion is a highly advanced Potion, so you're likely to find information on it only in the Restricted Section. Anywhere you look in the regular library will only have instructions on how to make it," said Snape, quickly returning to his usual self.

"I suppose you two should be heading to the library, then," said Dumbledore, and he pulled out a piece of parchment, scribbled something on it, and handed it to Draco. "That is a pass to go to the Restricted Section. If I were you, I'd want to find out as much as I could as soon as I could. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Sir," said Draco and Cassandra, and they got up and walked out of the room. However, just as Cassandra was closing the door behind them, she heard Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore talking in hushed mutters. And no matter how much she tried to shake it off, she knew she heard one word that stood out.

_Prophecy_.

"Hey, you go on to the library, I'm going to go and tell Hermione, Harry, and Ron, all right?" said Cassandra to Draco.

"Okay," he replied, and they went in separate directions.

xXx-xXx

Once Cassandra reached the common room, she found Harry and Ron playing a game of wizard's chess and Hermione sitting near them, a homework essay (that most likely wasn't due for another two weeks) spread out in front of her. There were a few other people scattered around, but the common room was otherwise quite empty. Cassandra suspected there were a lot of people out on the grounds, considering the fairly mild weather for November. She walked over to the trio and sat down at their table.

"Cassandra!" said Hermione. "We'd been wondering where you were!"

"Yeah, you just sort of…disappeared," said Ron. Harry said nothing, as he was avidly concentrating on making his next move.

"Well, I have good reason for 'disappearing'," said Cassandra. "I have a lot to tell you in a short amount of time, so pay attention…all _three_ of you," she added, seeing Harry still staring at the chessboard.

"Bishop to C4," said Harry, and then turned to look at Cassandra. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing, yet, except asking you to pay attention. Now, first of all, Draco and I went to see Dumbledore, and, as it turns out, I'm going to be going home for Thanksgivingnext week," said Cassandra excitedly.

"Oh, that's an American holiday where they celebrate the pilgrims' thanks to the Indians for showing them how to live in the new land, isn't it?" said Hermione interestedly.

"Yes, it is, now pay attention, you two!" said Cassandra to Harry and Ron, who were looking at Hermione in disbelief. "Anyway, Draco is coming with me for one day, and he's only allowed because he's my brother. But after we left Dumbledore's office…" Ron cut off Cassandra.

"Knight to C4," he said triumphantly, and his knight proceeded to destroy Harry's bishop. Harry's mouth was open to give another command when Hermione snapped at them both to pay attention.

"Right, anyway…when we left Dumbledore's office, Draco thought something, and _I could hear him_," said Cassandra. Her friends' reactions were pretty much as she expected them to be: Hermione gasped, Harry's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, and Ron was left looking confused for a moment or two before he finally got it and he started ranting.

"What? But, how could that – I mean, the Carlisus Potion and all, but – you're twins and stuff so shouldn't that be a part of – what?" he ended with when he saw the looks everyone was giving him.

"Ron, when will you learn to just be _quiet_?" asked Hermione desperately. He said nothing.

"Dumbledore called Snape up to the office and we figured out that because Draco and I are twins, the potion had a lasting effect on us," said Cassandra. "I don't think it would have affected us any differently than anyone else if it weren't for the fact that twins often have the ability to sense the other's feelings. I suppose the Carlisus Potion just permanently enhanced that so now we can know not only what the other is feeling, but exactly what the other is _thinking_."

"Woah," said Harry and Ron in unison. Hermione, however, seemed completely unfazed.

"We should have expected something like that to happen," she said logically. "Cass, you and Draco need to go straight to the library and…" Cassandra cut her off.

"Way ahead of you, 'Mione. Dumbledore already gave us a pass to the Restricted Section and Draco is at the library now," she stated. Hermione looked surprised.

"Wow. I'll be glad to help you do some research, Cass," she offered.

"Thanks, we could use some help…neither of us is a smart as you," said Cassandra.

"Sure you are," said Hermione, but she was blushing slightly. "Well, let's go then, shall we?"

Cassandra nodded and the two girls stood up and walked out of the common room and towards the library.

xXx-xXx

When they reached it ten minutes later, they spotted Draco sitting at a table, poring over a book. They quickly walked up to him.

"Took you forever," he said, when he noticed them. Cassandra just rolled her eyes.

"Did you get that out of the Restricted Section?" inquired Hermione.

"Umm…no…" said Draco. Hermione slapped him on the wrist and then demanded for him to give her the pass. When he surrendered it, she and Cassandra walked up to Madame Pince and showed her the pass. She saw Dumbledore's name and didn't bother to even check if it was forged like she normally did. Cassandra supposed that was because no one could forge Dumbledore's signature.

"You girls will find books on advanced Potions on the third shelf down…don't go wandering anywhere else!" she said, and watched them closely as they nodded and walked away.

Upon coming to the third shelf, Hermione looked at one side while Cassandra looked at the other.

"Don't grab too many books right now, Cassandra," warned Hermione.

"Why not?" she asked, her arms already laden with _Complex Potion Theories_, _A History of Multifarious Potions,_ _Backgrounds of Hazardous Potions_, and _Long Lasting Potion Effects That Were Only Supposed To Last A Day Or Less_.

"Because first of all, Madame Pince will get suspicious, and secondly, we don't have the time to read all of those," said Hermione, picking up _Bizarre Reasons For Bizarre Potion Effects_. "Put two of those back and let's get out of here," said Hermione. Cassandra sighed, then placed _A History of Multifarious Potions _and _Backgrounds of Hazardous Potions_ back on their appropriate shelves. She and Hermione then left the Restricted Section and headed back to the table where Draco was sitting, who had long since returned the book he had been reading back to its shelf.

Cassandra and Hermione dropped the books on the table, and Draco, after scanning the titles, quickly grabbed _Long Lasting Potion Effects That Were Only Supposed To Last A Day Or Less_ since it seemed to be the easiest to understand and the most straightforward. Cassandra and Hermione sat down and opened their respective books to the indexes, and silence came over the three students. The only noise was the turning of pages back and forth.

xXx-xXx

Meanwhile, back in the Gryffindor common room…

"Queen to E6!" said Harry triumphantly, and his queen stopped a space from Ron's King. "Checkmate!"

"What? No, you must have cheated!" Ron exclaimed. Harry hardly ever beat him at wizard's chess.

"No, I won fair and square and you know it!" said Harry, grinning from ear to ear. Ron just slouched down in his chair, his ears red.

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AN: That's the end of the chapter, yes. I just had to end it on a funny note…it seemed rather lame to end it on them studying books. So, PLEASE REVIEW!

xXx SpicySugar xXx


	6. One Mystery Down

AN: Holla everybody! See, I TOLD you it wouldn't be that long until I updated this time! (big smile) – I'm so proud of myself! Only a week apart! No shout outs this time (there aren't many people to give shout outs TO), I'm just getting right along with the chapter!

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Chapter 6: One Mystery Down

A few hours later, around dinner time, Cassandra, Hermione, and Draco were still sitting in the library, poring over new books.

"I can't believe this!" exclaimed Hermione. "Not one of these books has anything about the Carlisus potion in it!" Cassandra laughed quietly in spite of herself. The library rarely failed Hermione.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something, 'Mione," said Cassandra. Draco said nothing. He was avidly staring at the index of _Problematical Potion Predicaments_. A silence fell again for a minute until Draco let out a yell of joy, closely followed by an annoyed "Shhh!" from Madame Pince.

"What? Did you find something?" asked Cassandra.

"Yeah, listen," said Draco, and he began reading from the book. "'There is a serious side-effect of a flawless Carlisus Potion: If a set of twins drink from the same potion, the results will become permanent after a two-week period.'" Hermione snapped her fingers.

"That would explain why Parvarti and Padma don't have the same problem! Although they both made the potion, they didn't drink from the _same_ potion!" she said, her eyes alight with understanding.

"I don't see the difference, though…" said Cassandra.

"I think I get it," said Draco. "Although they both may have made a perfect Carlisus Potion, they were prepared at different times and in different cauldrons. They didn't drink it from the same cauldron."

"Oh, I see," said Cassandra. Her stomach gave a sudden rumble of hunger. "I'm hungry, let's go down to dinner. I'm sure Harry and Ron are there, so we can tell them."

"Good idea, I'm a bit hungry, too," said Hermione.

"You mean we can finally get out of this place?" said Draco, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yes, Draco, we can leave the library," said Cassandra with a laugh, and they all made their way towards the Great Hall.

xXx

Harry and Ron were, as suspected, in the Great Hall.

"You know, I feel kind of bad for not helping them out in the library," said Harry while eating steak and mashed potatoes.

"Don't," said Ron simply, his mouth full of chops. He swallowed and continued. "After all, they've got Hermione, what more could they ask for? She's more than enough help." Cassandra, Hermione, and Draco walked into the Hall just then.

"Speak of the devil…" said Harry with a laugh. Cassandra and Hermione joined them.

"So, did you give up because you were hungry?" said Ron, smiling.

"No actually. We found what we were looking for and left," stated Hermione, ladling soup into a bowl. Harry and Ron both spoke at the same time.

"You did?"

"Really?"

"Yes, Draco found it for us," said Cassandra, who already had chicken on her plate and was cutting it up. Ron, who had been drinking out of his goblet, began coughing and promptly slammed his goblet back down onto the table. After his coughing subsided, he spoke again.

"_Draco_ found it?" he said.

"Yes, is that really a surprise?" said Cassandra, looked offended.

"Well, yeah, I mean…" started Ron, but Cassandra cut him off.

"Just because he _acted_ like a total dolt for five years doesn't mean that he isn't smart, Ron," said Cassandra. Harry, who noted the delicacy of the situation, remained silent. Ron seemed to notice Cassandra's tone of voice, too, and quieted down. There was silence for a minute until Harry spoke.

"So, what did you guys find out?" he asked.

"Not much, but enough to explain it," said Hermione. "Basically, if a set of twins take a perfect Carlisus Potion from the same cauldron, they will be given the permanent ability to read the other's thoughts and feelings."

"Well, that's basically what you knew already, wasn't it?" asked Harry.

"Sort of…we weren't sure if there was just something…wrong…with us," explained Cassandra. "We figured it was best to know for sure."

"Oh," said Harry. There was silence for a while again as everyone tucked into their dinner. Then Cassandra remembered something from earlier that day.

"Hermione…" she said.

"What?"

"I'm not sure if this is a decent piece of information, but…earlier, when Draco and I were coming out of Dumbledore's office, I heard him and Snape talking…and, I mean, I may have just imagined it, but, I really thought I heard the word…prophecy," she finished sheepishly. Hermione's eyes widened, as did Harry's and Ron's.

"You mean you think that dream you had a few weeks ago might have been…true?" said Harry.

"Not true, per say, but I think it might have had some significance," said Cassandra.

"You really should talk to Dumbledore about that," said Ron.

"No," said Cassandra immediately. "He'd just think I was nosing, and he's too busy for stuff like that." In actuality, Cassandra was dying to know if there really was a prophecy about her, but she just couldn't shake the nagging fact that she might have simply imagined it…that it really was all just a dream. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Hermione and Ron share a significant look, and then glare at Harry as if it was his fault.

xXx

Cassandra was not herself the rest of the evening. She sat quietly in the common room staring into the fire, pondering everything that had happened that day, until she finally couldn't take it anymore and stated that she was going up to bed.

She got into her nightclothes and lay in bed, trying to empty her mind so that she could fall asleep, but only succeeded in making her think about her situation even more. What if there really was a prophecy? What if she, Cassandra Elizabeth Malfoy, had been spoken of before she was even born? What if she and Draco weren't just twins…they were the subject of prophecy? What if…

_She was fighting black hooded figure without a wand…she couldn't find Draco…_

"_That prophecy was right!"_

_A splash…she had jumped into the lake…_

_She was looking frantically but saw nothing but eerie blackness…something moved beside her…_

_She couldn't breathe…there was nothing at all…_

Cassandra sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, as if she had just recovered from a deathly shock. It had seemed more realistic that time than ever, although it had sped through as if the time had been bewitched. She looked at her bedside clock, which read 2:45. She glanced over at Hermione, who was still sleeping soundly. Good. She didn't want more people telling her she ought to go to Dumbledore. Trying to settle her mind, she lay back down and attempted to go back to sleep.

xXx

The next morning at breakfast, she acted as normal as humanly possible, and did not mention her dream to Hermione, Ron, or even Harry. She went through all her classes normally, and eventually stopped acting and was normal of her own accord. She seemed to have forgotten the problems of her nightmare for the time being. In fact, she forgot so much that Harry had to remind her at the end of their last class that there was Quidditch practice in fifteen minutes.

"Oh right, of course!" she laughed, and followed Harry and Ron down to the changing rooms.

"So, what are we doing this practice, Harry?" asked Cassandra after a few minutes.

"Oh I figured we'd work on some new Chaser formations, and get some practice with Ron and the Beaters," he replied.

"Do you know who we're playing next?" asked Ron.

"I think Ravenclaw. They'll pretty easy, I think," said Harry. "So, let's get going, shall we?" They were now at the changing rooms, and Cassandra noted his quick change in subject. She suspected that he did not want to linger too long on the fact that he would be playing against Cho Chang. Feeling much more cheered for some reason, she followed Harry into the changing rooms.

xXx

Half an hour later, they entire team was out on the field. They were playing a mini game at the moment, just to warm up. When Ginny scored her tenth goal, however, Harry started to get annoyed. He blew his whistle.

"Thompson, Massia, Brown, Calaway, off the field!" he said angrily. "Okay, Ginny, hang back for a minute while I coach Ron." He flew over to Ron, who was hanging his head. "Ron, what is the matter with you? You were fine last practice!"

"Nothing's wrong…I'm just…tired, I suppose," said Ron.

"Well, you need to wake up! If you play this abysmally during our next match we'll be flattened!" said Harry angrily.

"All right Harry, all right…" said Ron. In truth he was wide awake. His mind was just elsewhere…thinking about what Cassandra had told him the day before…thinking about a certain brown haired, brown eyed witch most likely sitting in the common room, doing her homework…

"Okay Ginny, go ahead!" came Harry's shout from the ground. Ginny zoomed toward the goalposts and Ron broke out of his thoughts and tried to pay attention. He managed to block ten of the twenty shots she threw at him.

"Well, that's certainly an improvement," said Harry. "Okay, team, back up in the air. Let's work on catching…"

xXx

Later, at dinner, when Hermione asked how practice was, she got a mixed response.

"It was all right, I guess…" said Harry.

"Great!" from Ginny and Cassandra, and silence from Ron.

"Ron, are you okay?" asked Hermione. Ron started and looked up from his plate.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine…" he said. Hermione looked at him curiously, but did not speak anymore.

"Guys, I'm exhausted," said Cassandra when she had finished dinner. "I'm heading back up to the common room."

"Yeah…yeah, me too," said Ron, and he followed her out of the Hall. However, he waited until they were back into the nearly deserted common room before saying what was on his mind.

"Cassandra, I need to talk to you," said Ron urgently.

"Okay, what is it?" she asked.

"It's about…well…Hermione…" he said.

"Ah, okay. Talk away," said Cassandra.

"You may or may not have guessed that she was the reason I wasn't performing that well today at practice…and I just don't know how to get my mind off of her!"

"Oh, Ron. You're so silly! You're only dwelling on her because you _want_ to dwell on her. If you just tell yourself to pay attention, you should be able to."

"But I _tried_ that! It didn't work!" he protested. Cassandra sighed.

"Okay, Ron. The only solution that I can see is for you to ask her out!" said Cassandra. Ron looked horrified at the very thought. He made a sort of moan of fright.

"Oh good grief, it's not that bad! And I'm going to start working on trying to see if she likes you, okay?"

"All right, thanks, Cass," said Ron, and he got out his homework (rather reluctantly) and began working on it. Cassandra, on the other hand, got out a blank piece of parchment and a quill to write a letter to her adoptive parents.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_How are you? I've been fabulous. Look, I know that you guys don't like the fact that I'm learning magic, but, really, it's okay! It's not evil or anything._

_I'm also sorry that I haven't written for a few weeks. But I do have good news! We won our first Quidditch match against Slytherin! It went on for nearly two hours, and I did get knocked in the leg with a bludger once, but I'm fine now! Harry caught the Snitch eventually, though it was very, very close. Thankfully, Draco_

She stopped there for a moment, her quill suspended over the parchment. She hadn't told her parents who her real family was, and they knew enough about the Harry Potter books to know that she would never, ever, call Draco Malfoy by his first name. Wondering how she was going to explain that to them on Thursday, she scribbled out "Draco" and continued writing.

_Malfoy got knocked in the head with a bludger and Harry was able to get the Snitch. Malfoy was in the hospital wing for a few days after that._

_Also, you guys are going to get a big surprise on Thanksgiving! But I can't say what it is…you'll just have to wait and see! I have a ton of homework, so I'll leave it here._

_I love you both!_

_Cassandra_

Satisfied with the letter, she put it in her bag to send the next morning. Then, staring at her bag as if wishing it would just disappear, she reluctantly opened it and pulled out a Potions essay she had to do on the uses of basilisk venom.

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AN: There you are! All nice and done! 2,103 words. I really wish I could make these darned chapters a bit longer, but when you're going from an outline, that's a tad hard…anyway, review everybody!

xXx SpicySugar xXx


	7. Back Home

AN: Back again, FINALLY, after a SERIOUSLY long wait… sorry people, but I'm having serious issues with school and all that… been working hard, you know… now that it's over I should be able to type more often. But enough chit-chat and on with the chapter! Which, by the way, is a bit longer than normal cause I made you wait so long.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter. Let's use common sense, folks.

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Chapter 7: Back Home

\V/

Cassandra was sitting in her afternoon Potions class, glumly staring at her cauldron, which contained her half-finished Scouring Solution. Today was Thanksgiving, and she found herself checking her watch every few seconds, determined that time must have stopped all together. Just when she was debating whether or not it was too early to be acceptable to leave for Dumbledore's office at 2:37, there was a knock on the dungeon door.

"Enter," said Snape from his desk, not looking up from the parchments he was correcting. The door opened slowly and small boy looked in. Cassandra thought he might be a second or third year.

"Excuse me, professor…" the boy stuttered. "I – I'm supposed to get Cassandra Calaway and Draco Malfoy…"

"For what purpose?" asked Snape smoothly, looking up from his desk. The boy hesitated.

"…Professor Dumbledore sent me, sir… he – he said it's really important…"

"Very well… Draco, go ahead…" said Snape, and Draco rose out of his chair and started walking toward the door.

"Sir, I – I'm supposed to retrieve Cassandra Calaway, too…" said the boy.

"Miss Calaway has not yet finished her assignment, she will be at the headmaster's office when she has completed it," said Snape silkily.

"Professor, I really think the Headmaster needs to see her immediately," said the boy. He was becoming a little more confident, determined not to fail on his mission for Dumbledore.

"Very well!" snapped Snape. "Calaway, you'll finish your potion when you return." Cassandra, who had been holding her breath, let it out gratefully. But as she got up, the boy spoke again.

"Sir, Professor Dumbledore said that neither of them would be returning to class today," said the boy, a little more quietly. This seemed to be the last straw for Snape.

"Fine, fine! Just go!" he said loudly. The three students left in a hurry, feeling sorry for the remainder of the class that had to suffer Snape's wrath.

"So who are you, anyway?" asked Cassandra to the boy when they had gotten out of the classroom.

"Oh, I'm Dennis… Dennis Creevey," he said shyly.

"Really?" said Cassandra with mild interest. None of them said anything else until the staircases, where they parted ways on the third floor.

"See you, then…" said Dennis.

"Yeah, see you," said Cassandra. She and Draco then walked through the corridors until they came to the one that housed Dumbledore's office.

"Did you know that kid?" asked Draco.

"Sort of… I had heard about him."

"Oh, right." They looked up ahead in the corridor to see the stone gargoyle standing at the end, and Professor Dumbledore standing in front of it. They walked quickly up to him. By now it was 2:50.

"I trust you had no difficulties in getting here?" asked Dumbledore.

"Well, Professor Snape wouldn't let Cassandra go until that little kid… Denny or whatever his name was… kept bugging him about it," said Draco.

"But other than that, no problems," said Cassandra.

"Well, that's good. Now, let's go up into my office for a minute to refresh you on what we talked about a few days ago…

xXx—

Ten minutes later, after Cassandra and Draco had been re-told everything, they were both holding onto a single quill, and Draco had a small sneakoscope in his pocket that would activate that evening at nine o'clock Eastern Standard Time, which would bring Draco back into his dormitory at one o'clock in the morning at Hogwarts.

"Now, on the count of three, the portkey will activate, and you both should end up in the front yard of Cassandra's house. Ready?"

Both teens nodded.

"Good luck and have fun," said Professor Dumbledore. "One…two…_three_." Cassandra felt a tugging just behind her navel and found herself spinning in a whirl of color, Draco next to her, and a few seconds later, she was standing in a very familiar patch of grass.

"Oh my! It worked!" she exclaimed.

"Why wouldn't it?" asked Draco. They were standing in a spacious front yard in front of a Cape Cod style house, cream colored with dark green shingles. There were woods on all sides of the house, except for a long driveway in front of the house and a rancher-style house next to Cassandra's house.

"Come on, let's go!" said Cassandra, grabbing Draco's arm and pulling him to the front steps, which they hastily climbed to get onto the wrap-around front porch. Once they got to the front door, Cassandra rang the doorbell. She was literally jumping with excitement. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Cassandra's adoptive mother opened the door. When she saw Cassandra, she nearly fainted.

"Sarah?" said her mother faintly.

"Mom, that's not my name, remember? I'm Cassandra now." Draco was a bit surprised to hear Cassandra using an American accent, since she had been speaking fluent British at Hogwarts.

"Oh, right, silly me… when you said we'd be getting a surprise on Thanksgiving, I certainly wasn't expecting this…" her mother seemed to just notice Draco.

"And who is this, Cassandra?" Draco was suddenly quite aware of the fact that he and Cassandra were both still in school robes.

"You bear a striking resemblance to Draco Malfoy…" continued Cassandra's mother suspiciously. Draco looked over at Cassandra, who nodded.

"Well, Mrs. Calaway, that would be because I am Draco Malfoy," he said, temporarily ignoring the fact that Cassandra's mother would even know he "bore a resemblance to Draco Malfoy." He figured Cassandra would explain it later. While Draco was thinking all of this, Mrs. Calaway seemed quite shocked.

"Sar—I mean, Cassandra, you…you brought _Draco Malfoy_ home with you? Why on earth…?" she finally managed to say.

"Mom, calm down, it's all right…"

"All right? _All right_?" said her mother faintly.

"Mom, how about we come inside?" hinted Cassandra.

"Right, of course," said Mrs. Calaway, opening the door wider and allowing Cassandra and Draco entrance into a small foyer. To the left was the dining room, and to the right was what Draco assumed was the formal living room. Mrs. Calaway motioned to steer them into the kitchen, but Cassandra was thinking otherwise.

"Let's go in here…" she said, going into the living room.

"Cassandra, what is this all about?" demanded her mother.

"Mom, just listen… why don't you sit down?" she said, doing so herself. She settled herself on the couch, and Draco followed her example, sitting next to her. Her mother reluctantly sat down on a wingback chair opposite the couch.

"Now, this might come as bit of a shock… but you remember that you didn't know who my real parents were?" Her mother nodded. "Right, well, I found out at Gringotts that I had a brother as well. As it turns out… Draco is that brother." Her mother's jaw dropped.

"All those years of hating Draco Malfoy in the books and you turn out related to him…?" she said quietly. "So that means… your parents are…"

"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy," finished Cassandra.

"My word…" said Mrs. Calaway. Cassandra's grandmother appeared in the doorway just then.

"Alice, who was that at—" she started, but cut herself off when she saw Cassandra. "Is that my Sarah?" she said. She looked like she might cry with happiness. Cassandra smiled weakly as her grandmother enveloped her in a hug.

"Yes, yes, I love you too, Grandmamma, but I think we need to explain some things to you and Grandpa and Dad," said Cassandra.

xXx—

After Cassandra's close family had been enlightened of her relations, Cassandra had drug Draco up to her room.

"Come on, you need to take off your robe before the rest of the family gets here and they ask questions… they all think I've been at some boarding school mom made up," said Cassandra. She was already unfastening the clasps of her robe, revealing her plaid skirt, white blouse, and red and gold striped tie. Draco did the same.

"Here, give me your robe and your tie," she said, opening her closet door. Draco got a quick glimpse of a small walk-in closet as he handed her his garments before she threw them in and snapped the door shut. He was now clad in black pants and a white button-up shirt.

"Okay, if you don't mind, I'm going to change into something a bit more comfortable… sorry I don't have anything decent for you," said Cassandra apologetically, as she dug through her dresser. Every once in a while Draco heard her mutter things like, "Ugh, I actually _wore_ that?" or "I can't _believe_ this actually fit me last year…" Eventually she pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt and jumped into her closet. A minute later she emerged in a pair of long, dark, flared jeans and a short-sleeved gray shirt that said, "You didn't beat me… I let you win" on it in black print.

"So… would you mind telling me what all of this stuff is?" said Draco, eyeing Cassandra's TV, PS2, VCR, and computer. Cassandra laughed.

"I figured I'd have to endure something like this…" she said.

xXx—

After a half hour of explaining about the Harry Potter series and what all her electronics were, Cassandra heard the kitchen door open and new voices downstairs. She leapt up from her position sitting in front of her computer desk.

"Uncle Dave and Aunt Patty are here!" she said excitedly. "I'm really close with their daughter, Lydia." With that she bounded out of the room, but paused at the top of the stairs to tell Draco to stay there. He did so, and a few moments later he heard two sets of feet bounding up the wooden steps, and Cassandra's voice saying, "Come on, Lydia, there's someone here I want you to meet!" Not a second later they both burst through Cassandra's bedroom door. Lydia spotted Draco and looked him up and down.

"He looks a lot like Tom Felton, you know?" said Lydia. Cassandra did her best not to laugh. Lydia was in absolute love with Tom Felton.

"Well, it's no wonder. Tom Felton plays the lovely guy before you in the movies," said Cassandra. It took a moment for this statement to sink in to Lydia. Then she started laughing.

"Cassandra! That's impossible! If Tom Felton played this guy," she pointed to Draco, "then he would have to be Draco Malfoy, and _that_ isn't possible."

"Actually, it is," said Cassandra quietly. "That_ is_ Draco Malfoy."

Lydia laughed nervously.

"You're kidding…right?" she asked.

"No. Listen, whatever boarding school my mother told you I'd been going to is wrong. I've been going to Hogwarts. You know I'm adopted, right?"

"Yeah…" said Lydia faintly. "Your mom told my mom a couple months ago."

"Well, my parents are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Draco Malfoy, who is sitting right there, is my brother."

Lydia was silent for a moment.

"Prove it," she finally said.

"Well, I can prove I've been going to Hogwarts… look," said Cassandra, and she went to her closet and opened it, then took out her robes and Draco's.

"That doesn't prove anything, you could have bought those anywhere," said Lydia. She was known to be a skeptic.

"All right. Shut the door. And lock it," said Cassandra. Lydia did so.

"Now, stand away from the door, and watch," said Cassandra. She then pulled her wand out of her back pocket, and Lydia gasped. Cassandra paid no attention, but pointed her wand at the doorknob.

"_Alohamora!_" she said. The door lock clicked and the door opened. Lydia's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"You – you just did – and – and the door – it…"

"Yes, I magically opened the door," said Cassandra. "Now, watch this." Cassandra then pointed her wand at her robe, now lying on the floor.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" she said, and the robe slowly rose into the air. Once Lydia was near the fainting point, Cassandra ended the spell.

"Believe me now?" said Cassandra. Lydia nodded, then spoke.

"But you still didn't prove that he's Draco Malfoy," said Lydia. "Why doesn't he do magic?"

"Dumbledore wouldn't give him permission. He's only letting me do simple spells as it is, because he knows I'll want to show it off to my parents."

"Oh," said Lydia simply. "But still, that's wicked that you can do magic!" she added.

"Yeah, I know, I know," said Cassandra.

xXx--

Ron took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He wasn't quite sure why he was doing it, he was positive it was going to end badly. But he did it anyway. He cautiously walked up to Hermione in the common room.

"Er – Hermione?" he said hesitantly. She was reading, but looked up at him when he spoke. His stomach was doing gymnastics.

"Could I…" he cleared his throat. "Could I talk to you a moment?"

"Ron, you're talking to me right now," she said with a laugh.

"No, I mean…I mean somewhere else…" he said.

Hermione eyed him closely, but got up.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Erm, I don't really care… just out of sight of everyone," he said, trying to sound casual. His stomach's gymnastic ability seemed to be increasing.

"How about just outside the common room?" suggested Hermione. Ron didn't like the idea of doing this in front of more portraits than he could count, but what choice did he have? They both walked out of the common room, and Harry, who had been watching, smiled. Once Ron and Hermione were safely out of earshot of the rest of the Gryffindors, Ron began his rehearsed conversation.

"Er, I was wondering, Hermione… when's the date of the next Hogsmeade weekend?" he said in a would-be casual voice, his stomach still doing back-flips.

"It's a week from Saturday, I just told you yesterday," said Hermione.

"Oh, yeah, er, I… I must have forgot," said Ron.

"Is that all you wanted to ask me?" asked Hermione. "If so, then that's a very silly reason to pull me out of the common room." She had started to turn around when Ron grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, wait!" he said. Hermione slowly turned to face him again, glancing down at his hand, in which was her wrist.

"Yes, Ron?" she asked quietly and with a slight air of impatience.

"I… I… I was just… I wanted to ask you…"

"Ask me _what_, Ron?" said Hermione, anticipating the question.

"Ifouwannedogotothvillgewime," said Ron in a rush.

"What?" said Hermione. "Speak slowly Ron." Ron, who knew Hermione had heard him speak quickly on many occasions, thought she was just doing this to torment him, but took a deep breath and repeated his sentence.

"I wanted to ask you," he paused, closed his eyes, then opened them again, "if you wanted to go to the village with me – just you and I." He held his breath, waiting for her answer. It seemed like an eternity had passed before she responded.

"Well, I think that can be arranged," said Hermione sweetly. She was suddenly aware of the fact that Ron's hand was still clenched around her wrist. "And, can you let go of my arm now?" she added.

"Oh, right," said Ron, blushing. Once his hand was at his side, however, she slipped her hand into his. Then, as they walked back to the common room entrance, she quietly whispered into his ear.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to ask me," she said, and kissed his cheek.

Neither of them paid any mind to the whispering portraits all around them.

xXx-- --xXx-- --xXx-- --xXx-- --xXx—

AN: Again, I apologize for the long wait. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up quicker! (no guarantees, though.)

xXx SpicySugar xXx-


	8. I'm Sorry

AN: I am sorry to report that this is all one very big Author's Note, and not a chapter. I DO have a somewhat-prepared speech for this, so I beg of you all to listen… or… read… or, whatever…

Okay, first of all I want to say that I know how it feels to absolutely love a story. I really do. However, it is also a common known fact that sequels are hardly ever as good as their predecessors. This fact is disproved by, say, the Harry Potter series, or the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. But, those were planned sequels in a series of events. If an author (or movie director) simply suddenly decides to write a sequel based on the number of people demanding it, the likelihood of it turning out as good as the work before it isn't that high. That is how this story worked out. Many people requested a sequel, so I wrote one…

So, a while later, a sequel was posted, and my original reviewers for Malfoy's Twin hounded on it. They soon realized it _was_ a bit better than Malfoy's Twin. I realized that too. After several months, however, I lost the will to write it, hence why I hadn't updated in, well… a long while. Because, back when I started this story, I didn't outline it, and I forgot exactly where I wanted this story to go… so, it is with a very, very, _very_ heavy heart that I say that I must discontinue this story. It seems that so many of my other stories have come to this fate, and I have discovered the reason why… so I shall tell you my secret: _outline first_.

If you outline first, and even pre-write the entire story before posting it, you will get a feel for what the story's outcome will be and be confident that you will get the entire story posted because _you know what will happen_. The readers aren't supposed to know what will happen until it, well, happens. But if the _author_ doesn't even know what will occur later in the story, how can he/she write the story? Making it up as you go simply doesn't work anymore, except for random humor stories maybe, and even then, if one is not humorous, then how can one write a humor? However, I do have something here that I believe would be of interest to all of you… I figure since I am discontinuing this story, I can show it to you… as it turns out, there WAS a prophecy about Cassandra and Draco… this is it:

_Born under the same night stars / in the middle of the fifth month / lie two people, when put together / to either strengthen or destroy the Dark Lord. / Apart their power is greater than his / But together their power is yet stronger. / Appeared unto him they can only work / Forever together but a world apart._

Why I made this up I don't know, since it contradicts Harry's prophecy… but this was the only basis I had to going on with the story, and it simply wasn't good enough.

As I said, I very much hate to discontinue this, but I simply have no more will to write it. I know how it feels to realize an author is no longer going to update a story, really, I do. This is why all of my new stories now are completely outlined and in some cases pre-written. So, if you know what's good for you, you won't pine over this story too much and you'll switch over to reading Easier To Run and/or Never Say Goodbye. Both of which, might I add, are completely outlined and being updated regularly. Again, I say, I really hate to discontinue stories because I KNOW that there is a lot of people out there that were following this story and are now extremely sad/disappointed/angry/etc… and I can say, genuinely, that I'm terribly sorry…. If one should venture over to Emily and Amanda, one would see an Author's Note near identical to this one…

Signing off for the last time on Forever Together But A World Apart…

-xXx SpicySugar xXx-


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